Is there a Dr. in the house??

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NinaDawn79
NinaDawn79 Posts: 164
in Fitness and Exercise
Preferably one that works for free?? :laugh:

OK, so this is one of those questions I am cringing at myself for asking, but I need some help. I am flat busted broke these days (not asking for sympathy, its my own fault) and can't stomach the thought of paying a $20 copay and taking the time from work to go to the doctor for this unless I REALLY need to, so experience is appreciated! Sorry it's so long, but am trying to provide as much detail as I can.

I started "running" 6 weeks ago, 40 minutes 3 times a week. By "running", I mean I run until I can't run anymore, walk to recover, then run some more. When I started I could only go .1 of a mile before I had to walk, and this week I have gotten up to over .6 of a mile. In my 40 minutes, I now make it about 3.15 miles.

Because of the afore-mentioned brokeness, against ALLLLL advice to the contrary, I have not purchased "real" running shoes. I have reasonably good cross training shoes (Nike and Adidas) that I alternate regularly, but have not been properly fit for true running shoes (we have an expensive trip coming up and all our funds are going toward it, so I was trying to hold off on buying good shoes until we got back).

This Tuesday, I went for my usual run in the park (I do the treadmill at the gym the other 2 running days), and due to a fluke in our work schedule I had some extra time, so I stretched my usual 40 minutes into an hour and a half, which felt marvelous. I probably ran about 30 minutes and walked/hiked 60. I am always careful, and did not feel any jarring or turning, anything alarming at all.

As the day wore on, I felt a "twinge" in my right foot that became more noticeable as the day wore on (was wearing some Crocs flats). Nothing really painful, just a sensation. However on Wednesday, this sensation turned into outright pain as I continued to walk. I went to the gym during my lunch as I usually do, and while I jogged I didn't feel the pain, only when I walked. By the end of the day, I was a limping, gimping mess and could barely make it to my car.

I keep thinking of the pain as a cramp, rather than a real injury, because it's in the middle of my foot (arch area) and if I stretch/wiggle my foot, the pain subsides, and I don't feel it at all when I'm off of it. I can even take a few steps without the pain, and then all of a sudden BAM-O.

Can anyone shed some light on this pain?? I did the elliptical this morning at the gym instead of my run in case it was an injury, but do I really need to see a doctor to be sure? How long can I give it to work itself out before going that route?

Any advice is appreciated, esp. that which tells me to go buy some GOOD shoes, lol! TIA!!!

Replies

  • ktthegr8
    ktthegr8 Posts: 479
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    Go get some good shoes!!! It sounds like you might have falling arches, but I am not a doctor and do not know. Try some supportive inserts.
  • anna1131
    anna1131 Posts: 10 Member
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    I am no doctor by far. But google (plantar fasciitis) And get some good shoes.
  • alligator1970
    alligator1970 Posts: 52
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    I am certainly no doctor but do work for one. It sounds like you might have pulled a muscle/tendon in your foot. Try elevating it and taking 800 mg ibuprofen for a few days. If you can (health wise) take Ibuprofen and if it is not better in a few days see a doctor. This is what i wodul do if it is me...please understand I have no way of knowing what is wrong. If the pain increased to a more severe then I woudl go ahead and go to the doctor.Good luck.
  • NinaDawn79
    NinaDawn79 Posts: 164
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    Thank you to everyone. I am literally jogging around the office, because that is the only thing that doesn't hurt. Does that even make sense?? Why would walking hurt, but not jogging??
  • anthrochix
    anthrochix Posts: 264
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    Plantar fascitis, definitely. I had it myself last year and it took 3 months to go away (I did see an orthopedist and what follows is what he advised me to do). Buying a good set of HIGH arch supports helped me a lot. You can also tape your foot with athletic tape and that also helps somewhat (google how to do it because it has a specific pattern to lend support). The third thing I did was to get a "boot" specifically for this kind of thing that I slept with and it kept my foot flexed all night so that the ligament could stretch. (I got it online from footsmart).

    Unfortunately, because of the location of this type of injury, it is in an area that does not get a super rich blood supply, the healing tends to take a real real long time. It is generally worse in the mornings and evenings and might ease up in the middle of the day.

    Rest it, use epsom salts for the swelling, get arch supports and athletic tape (not too expensive), be patient and don't go running again until you feel that it is COMPLETELY healed because it is soooooo easy to re-injure.

    Also, make sure that all of your future shoe purchases have a high enough arch to give you the support you need.

    Good luck with this and I hope that you feel better soon!
  • NinaDawn79
    NinaDawn79 Posts: 164
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    Plantar fascitis, definitely. I had it myself last year and it took 3 months to go away (I did see an orthopedist and what follows is what he advised me to do). Buying a good set of HIGH arch supports helped me a lot. You can also tape your foot with athletic tape and that also helps somewhat (google how to do it because it has a specific pattern to lend support). The third thing I did was to get a "boot" specifically for this kind of thing that I slept with and it kept my foot flexed all night so that the ligament could stretch. (I got it online from footsmart).

    Unfortunately, because of the location of this type of injury, it is in an area that does not get a super rich blood supply, the healing tends to take a real real long time. It is generally worse in the mornings and evenings and might ease up in the middle of the day.

    Rest it, use epsom salts for the swelling, get arch supports and athletic tape (not too expensive), be patient and don't go running again until you feel that it is COMPLETELY healed because it is soooooo easy to re-injure.

    Also, make sure that all of your future shoe purchases have a high enough arch to give you the support you need.

    Good luck with this and I hope that you feel better soon!

    Great information and tips, thank you so much for all of this! I did look up plantar fasciitis online, and it doesn't seem to "mesh" with my symptoms though. :frown: It describes pain in the heel and pain when first waking up, when it actuality my pain gets worse as my foot "limbers up", and it is not in my heel, more in the arch/side of my foot.

    I'm certain that my shoes are largely to blame for whatever this is though, so I will see what I can do about that. I could kick myself right about now for my large collection of cheap shoes and not being able to afford one GOOD pair. :embarassed:
  • runnerdad
    runnerdad Posts: 2,081 Member
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    Doubling your running time is sort of asking for injury. I would suspect plantar fasciitis too. Take ibuprofen morning and night, try freezing a water bottle and rolling your foot on it, the boot thing may be really helpful, but since finances are an issue, just stretch it out a lot. Stay off it as much as you can, and get some arch support (just the Dr Scholl kind from the drug store ) and wear them all the time, even when you're just loafing around the house in your slippers (no bare feet until you're better!)
    Hope yoe feel better soon.
  • lesliemk
    lesliemk Posts: 382 Member
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    It sounds like you are in desperate need of good running shoes. When I get fitted for running shoes the place I go to has me run on a treadmill, so they can see how my foot moves as I run. It sounds like you need better arch support, b/c chances are you are overpronating as you run. It's rather common, but having a good running shoe with appropriate arch support solves the issue. Cross trainers just don't do the job.
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
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    Universal approach to any injury is ice and rest. You can decide for yourself whether to add anti-inflammatories (e.g. ibuprofen). Look up something called Low Dye taping and see if you can duplicate it. That's the "free" part, which may or may not work. You may just have a mild ligament strain and get off lucky with rest.

    If you need further treatment, you will need to see a sports medicine caregiver--a family doc most likely is not qualified to address this. You will need to a) treat the current symptoms and heal the injury; b) determine any underlying muscle imbalances, postural issues, etc, that might make you predisposed to another injury and c) address those issues through rehabilitation exercises, corrective footwear, or both.
  • NinaDawn79
    NinaDawn79 Posts: 164
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    Since so many people were so kind to extend helpful advice in response to my problem, I wanted to send out an update that it seems to have been a mere cramp; walking barefoot around the house for a day healed me up nicely. :happy: Still have not attempted a jog (will do so tomorrow morning, but only for my usual 40 minutes), but I have done some extensive walking and so far, so good!

    I really appreciate all the input and advice to buy some good shoes. Maybe tonight will be my night for that!
  • magglett
    magglett Posts: 2,000
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    Sounds a lot like the symptoms of plantar fasciitis but like the others have said "I ain't no doctor". I get this every now and then and my friend thinks I'm crazy when I say "I can't walk on a flat surface right now without pain ... let's hike in the woods so there are roots and rocks to walk on" I doesn't hurt if the surface isn't flat for some reason.
  • magglett
    magglett Posts: 2,000
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    Since so many people were so kind to extend helpful advice in response to my problem, I wanted to send out an update that it seems to have been a mere cramp; walking barefoot around the house for a day healed me up nicely. :happy: Still have not attempted a jog (will do so tomorrow morning, but only for my usual 40 minutes), but I have done some extensive walking and so far, so good!

    I really appreciate all the input and advice to buy some good shoes. Maybe tonight will be my night for that!

    Glad you're doing better.:happy:
  • pinksultana
    pinksultana Posts: 162 Member
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    hey - I know its kind of healed up for you but I thought id still get in here....I suffer plantar fascitis, that comes out throgh the arch rather than through th heel and achilles. I have had a lot of podiatrist support because i have other foot probs but the best excercise to ease the pain when it flares i have found it to keep a can of drink in the fridge and roll it under your foot over the arch ect in every angle - initially it sort of can trigger the ain, but it stretches the arch and feels good!! just a ip i got from my podiatrist that im passing onto you :)

    xxPINK
  • NinaDawn79
    NinaDawn79 Posts: 164
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    Dredging this up again to happily report I have purchased a real pair of running shoes! Tomorrow will be their first test, fingers crossed they do the trick!!

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